PRECOLLEGE ENCICHMENT PROGRAM (PREP)

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Our proposed "Precollege Enrichment Program" (PREP), which incorporates a strong focus in the chemical and biological sciences, was organized in response to the NIH RFA RR-94-0, "NCCR Minority Initiative: K-12 Teachers and High School Students". Our focus will be to include minority high school students as well as teachers in a summer research and learning experience at University of California, Santa Cruz. Our goal is to provide early instruction to eight minority high school students in basic research laboratory skills for eight weeks, with an emphasis in easing the transition from high school to the University through enrichment activities prior to freshman entry. This proposed project will also prepare three K-12 teachers (one preservice and two inservice), who are currently and/or planning on teaching in Santa Cruz county. We propose to continue a model program that has been ongoing at UCSC for the last decade, under the direction of Profs. Crews (Chemistry) and Ortiz (Biology), with participation by minority students and inservice teachers from high schools of the central California coastal region. Our overall goal is the improvement of science education in the region's classrooms. We have established a partnership with the local K-12 education community, designed to foster long term enhancement of science instruction in our public schools. The primary objective is to provide teachers with scientific literacy, a content rich curriculum and the teaching expertise to prepare and motivate underrepresented youth. The broad objective of the high school program component of this initiative is to draw increasing numbers of our region's young people into the study of the biological sciences and ultimately direct them to careers in biomedical research, biotechnology, and teaching.